Richard Coutts attended the inaugural meeting of the Floods Advisory Group at N° 10, Downing Street last week, chaired by minster’s Andrew Percy MP, Minister for Local Growth and the Northern Powerhouse and Dr Therese Coffey MP, Parliamentary Under Secretary of State. The National Flood Resilience Review sets out the Government’s commitment to develop and pilot a new model of self-financing investment, which is intended to increase local flood resilience and enhance urban regeneration. The Advisory Group will now establish a framework in order to establish these objectives and will report back to Government over the forthcoming months. Sheffield has been identified as the pilot scheme. ​

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​Dover Waterfront Masterplan Win

Dover District Council, in partnership with the Port of Dover and a number of local land and property owners, have appointed Baca Architects, with an expert consultant team, to develop a planning and regeneration framework for the wider Dover Waterfront area. Baca Architects are lead designer for the overall masterplan and are working in collaboration with the Olympic Park design team at LDA, who are leading the route corridor studies. A core objective is to improve the connections and the public realm from Dover Waterfront to the Maison Dieu (Dover Town Hall) and Dover Priory railway station. Part of this strategy will be to propose solutions, which reduce the severance caused by the A20, already being enhanced by the Port Authority with junction and underpass improvements. Together with improving the existing connections, the new proposals will also enhance the connections between Dover’s main historic assets, Dover Castle and the Western Heights. Tim Ingleton, Head of Inward Investment at Dover District Council, stated that: “The vision for this key part of Dover is to create a more welcoming, contemporary image that better connects people and places whilst retaining the distinctiveness for which Dover is world renowned.” Barbara Buczek, Director of Corporate Development at Port of Dover, said: “The Port is committed to delivering Dover Western Docks Revival, that includes an exciting waterfront transformation that will be a catalyst for creating Destination Dover. Ensuring that the local benefits of this major opportunity are maximized through additional masterplanning, to improve connectivity, is a further demonstration of our commitment to deliver for Dover.” The core consultant team comprises WSP Parsons Brinckerhoff, Baca Architects and LDA Design, who are supported by Bilfinger GVA and Currie & Brown. Baca Director, Richard Coutts, said “ This is a great coup for the practice and we have some very exciting strategic and architectural propositions to help re-energize this historic and cultural frontline to Europe” ​

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​Flood Resilient Housing forStratford-upon-Avon

Baca Architects have been appointed to design a flood resilient housing scheme of 12 units for a derelict flood prone site off the A3400 into Stratford-upon-Avon.Based loosely on our conceptual designs for a Flood Resilient Housing Scheme, commended by the Times Newspaper, the proposals bring together several strands of our flood mitigation research in a masterplan, using design and flood resilient house typologies, to create a unique, forward looking strategy, which will allow development to take place on this existing flood risk site.With views from the site across the river Avon, to the historic town centre conservation area, Baca Architects propose that the scheme demonstrates sensitive and high-quality design. The development will create a collection of two and three storey town houses arranged in a series of terraces and mews settings.Having had positive initial conversations with both the Environment Agency and the town planners, Baca hope to develop the site in 2017 and create an exemplar, transferable model for housing schemes on other flood risk sites. In addition it will provide a solution to currently undevelopable, disused flood risk sites that can be found in towns and cities around the country.Director Richard Coutts said: “This is a great opportunity to demonstrate affordable flood resilience. The Straford-upon-Avon scheme will be an affordable and scalable template for developments on flood risk sites that can be replicated across the UK.” ​

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​Baca Architects shortlisted for the 2016 British Homes Awards

Baca Architects is shortlisted for this year’s British Homes Awards. The shortlist was judged by a high-profile jury chaired by Robert Adam of ADAM Architecture. It included AJ editorial director Paul Finch, Jo McCafferty of Levitt Bernstein, BRE chief executive Peter Bonfield and architect Lynne Sullivan. The annual awards, is backed by the Sunday Times. Read more about it here https://www.architectsjournal.co.uk/news/finalists-named-in-british-homes-awards-flood-resistant-house-contest/10009716.fullarticle ​

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Flood Proof Tower

With their expertise in flood mitigation Baca Architects have developed proposals for a new gateway tower building on a strategic development site near Wembley that currently suffers from flood risk issues. The under used site is directly opposite a mainline railway and underground station with a tributary of the Brent river running through the middle of the site. Currently there is no public access and proposals will look to provide strategic new public routes across the site and open up the landscape around the river for public enjoyment and create more sustainable natural habitats for local wildlife. To develop a scheme that puts both the development and the river flood plain on an equal weighting Baca Architects have employed innovative flood mitigation techniques to the landscape and suggested low-risk ground floor uses while protecting the most vulnerable residential uses above. Proposals explore a mixed-use scheme with car parking, commercial, public spaces and 60 residential units. Options explore several different ways to open up the site to create a unique conversation between the new towers and the river landscape below.

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Integrated Masterplan for Littlehampton

In collaboration with GL Hearn Baca were asked to look into the potential for the future expansion opportunities to support the growth of the West Sussex town of Littlehampton. Baca carried out initial feasibility studies on over 30 sites to determine the most suitable opportunities. From the 30 sites 8 sites were considered potentially suitable to deliver the 1000 home strategic objective of the Littlehampton Economic Growth Area. Following identification of suitable sites a coordinated and integrated strategy was implemented to create sustainable development and infrastructure able to support the economic growth targets. Due to the potential for flooding in and around Littlehampton Baca Architects strategic specialism in flood mitigation solutions to create safe new development was drawn on to provide a coherent and feasible framework for future development. The new development will not be fully defended and Makes Space for Water by retaining effective flood plain across the site where suitable. The proposals include flood resilient homes, flats over car parking that will be allowed to flood in extreme flood events and elevated mixed-use schemes.